Coast-to-coast winter blitz

Winter storm warnings are stretching from California to the East Coast. A television journalist and a 9-year-old girl have been fatally shot in central Florida. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have been subpoenaed in the investigation into election interference by former President Donald Trump, according to media reports.

👋 It's Jane Onyanga-Omara and Steve Coogan, Daily Briefing authors. Who let the dogs out? This Florida bill would ban pups from sticking their heads out car windows.

Now, here's Thursday's news

Treacherous winter storm spreads from coast to coast

Winter storm warnings continued to stretch from California to the East Coast on Thursday, with blizzard conditions and other treacherous winter weather slamming swaths of the country. Some regions in the West and Midwest that have faced brutal, frigid conditions this week could see winter storm, wind chill and other advisories lift on Thursday after days of dangerous weather. Snow and ice are expected to hit parts of New York and New England on Thursday, bringing a foot of accumulation in some areas. And yes, wintry weather and rainfall is even in the forecast for southern California. Read more

🌤 What's the weather up to in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast here.

3 dead, including TV journalist and 9-year-old, in central Florida shootings

A Florida television journalist from Spectrum News 13 and a 9-year-old girl were fatally shot Wednesday near the scene of a deadly shooting from earlier in the day, officials said. Deputies initially responded to the Pine Hills area, northwest of Orlando Wednesday morning following reports of a woman in her 20s being shot. According to witnesses, a man approached the news vehicle later Wednesday and opened fire, and then walked to a nearby home and shot the mother and daughter. Besides the journalist and the girl, a TV crewmember and the girl’s mother were wounded during the second shooting. They were in critical condition at a local hospital. Authorities arrested Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who was formally charged with murder from the first incident. Authorities expect to charge Moses for the additional shooting of the four people. Read more

• US mass killing events in January: Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay killings make 2023's first month one of most violent on record.

• Mass killing database: Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006.

👉 What do you want to know about crime and the criminal justice system? USA TODAY reporter Grace Hauck focuses on this topic and she wants to hear from you. What questions do you have? What kinds of stories do you want to see? Email her at ghauck@usatoday.com.

Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner subpoenaed in DOJ special counsel probe, reports say

Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared  Kushner have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department's special counsel investigating the former president's efforts to block the transfer of power following the 2020 election, according to media reports. The move represents the latest effort by federal authorities to secure the testimony from Trump's inner circle in an ongoing criminal investigation. The Justice Department declined to comment on the law enforcement action, first reported by the New York Times. The couple's legal representatives could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for the former president also did not respond to inquiries, including whether he would seek to block the testimony. Read more

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• 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY Senior Data Reporter Doug Caruso looks at how effective Amber alerts are at finding missing children. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

White House blames Trump administration and GOP for Ohio train derailment spill

The White House is firing back at Republicans following the toxic East Palestine, Ohio train derailment, blaming the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress for undoing Obama-era rail safety measures designed to avert such disasters. The aggressive rebuttal came as former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine on Wednesday and Republicans increasingly attack the Biden administration, especially Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, for its response to the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that unleashed toxic chemicals. Republicans have accused President Joe Biden of ignoring East Palestine, which Trump carried by 40 percentage points in the 2020 election, decrying how the president visited Ukraine and Poland this week instead of Ohio. Read more

• Just how dangerous is the Ohio derailment disaster? Why it's confusing.

• Column: Toxins don't play politics. After derailment, East Palestine deserves answers, not games.

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Don Lemon apologizes again for Nikki Haley comments before returning to CNN

Don Lemon apologized again early Wednesday for his comments last week about presidential hopeful and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley before returning to his seat on CNN "This Morning." "To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I'm sorry. I've heard you, I'm learning from you ..." he tweeted. The TV host, 56, appeared Wednesday for the first time since saying Haley was not "in her prime" during last Thursday's episode. In his return, he made no mention of the controversy and stuck to the news with stories like President Joe Biden's trip to Ukraine, the Ohio train derailment and winter weather. Read more

• The Don Lemon-Nikki Haley controversy explained: What the CNN host said about the presidential hopeful

• USA TODAY Opinion column: CNN's Don Lemon still gets it wrong. His non-apology for sexist comments is what not to do.

• From columnist Rex Huppke: Fox News' election lies vs. sexism from CNN's Don Lemon. The difference? Accountability.

📷 Photo of the day: Winter storm blows bitter cold and snow across the US 📷

A brutal winter storm that has stretched 2,600 miles coast to coast battered states from the West to the East Coast on Wednesday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of households, shuttering highways and prompting hundreds of flight cancellations.

Click here to see photos of the storm making its mark across the nation.

One more thing

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• 🎥 Here's why Tom Cruise, "Top Gun: Maverick" face "a do-or-die" weekend in Oscar best picture race.

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Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: Coast to coast winter blitz